United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was on hand today to address the opening meeting of the 52nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. He used the occasion to announce the beginning of a worldwide campaign against violence against women. In his speech he said, "One third of women are beaten, abused or coerced into sex during their lifetime. They are our sisters, mothers, daughters and friends. This is a campaign for them to reclaim their lives."

He noted that the systematic rape of women has become a war tactic, and he called for a mechanism to be created under Security Council Resolution #1325, which mandates the full participation of women in all peace processes, in order to monitor violence against women in conflict situations.

Besides pledging help from the United Nations, the Korean Secretary General called for individual governments to criminalize all forms of violence against women, for non-governmental organizations to step up the fight and for individuals to help wherever they can. He suggested that it should particularly become an emblem of pride for men and boys to denounce violence against women.

The campaign is planned to continue through 2015, the timeline of the United Nations' Millennium Goals for Development, because, as Mr. Ki-moon said, "The eradication of violence against women is a necessary condition for the development of society."

This is Mr. Ki-moon's first appearance at the Commission on the Status of Women since he took over from Secretary General Kofi Annan, who retired in 2007. Kofi Annan, from Ghana, was the first Secretary General to address the Commission on the Status of Women. Nan, his Swedish wife, was active in the work of the Commission itself. Since Ban Ki-moon arrived in person on the first day of the session, the first time an United Nations Secretary General has ever appeared at the opening, it appears that he intends to continue or even intensify Annan's policy of giving more importance to issues affecting women.

Ban Ki-moon's speech was short and clear. All the same, should anyone have missed his message, at the end of his speech, he took out a little whistle and blew on it loud and long!